OUR VIEW: Vote in the US Senate primary

When longtime U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., resigned his U.S. Senate seat to become President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, it touched off a rather heated race in both major parties for a one-year stint. Unfortunately, the special election has not gained a whole lot of attention from a campaign-fatigued public....

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

Writer

Posted Apr. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 29, 2013 at 2:10 PM

Posted Apr. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 29, 2013 at 2:10 PM

» Social News

When longtime U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., resigned his U.S. Senate seat to become President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, it touched off a rather heated race in both major parties for a one-year stint. Unfortunately, the special election has not gained a whole lot of attention from a campaign-fatigued public.

An open Senate seat is a rarity in Massachusetts, and the candidates in both parties have jumped at the opportunity to vie for the seat in the June 25 special election. While Massachusetts is without question a Democratic stronghold, political observers remember that it was a special election that gave a Republican, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, the opportunity to represent the commonwealth in the Senate following the death of longtime U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2011.

For a non-traditional campaign season, though, some fiery debates heated up the cool late winter and early spring weeks. Voters have been treated to a variety of healthy debates about significant issues facing our state and nation.

While the campaign has been largely fought outside the region with the exception of a few stops, both Democratic candidates visited the region in the final stretch of the campaign over the weekend to garner votes from the heavily Democratic region.

On the Democratic side, an unusual matchup pits two congressmen against each other. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch — a conservative Democrat who represents the eighth congressional district, including East Boston, Quincy and many eastern Massachusetts communities, including Raynham — is battling the more liberal Democrat, longtime U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, who represents the fifth district, stretching from the MetroWest region to towns north of Boston. Local and state Democrats have split their support between the two candidates, though Markey — the first to announce his intentions — picked up more early support.

On the Republican side, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, considered the most conservative Republican in the field, is vying for the GOP nomination against two more moderate Republicans: Gabriel Gomez, a former Navy SEAL who calls himself a “new Republican” with socially liberal fiscally conservative views, and libertarian-leaning Republican state Rep. Daniel Winslow, R-Norfolk, a former district court judge who served as legal counsel to former Gov. Mitt Romney who has made a name for himself by proposing innovative ideas in the Legislature. The three have engaged in an unusually aggressive Republican primary campaign.

Voters have had opportunities the past few months to get to know the candidates’ style and substance. Now it’s up to Massachusetts voters to pick the best candidate to represent their party in the general election. Primaries generally have low turnout numbers; special elections draw from an even smaller pool of voters. Just 14 percent of Fall River voters turned out for the 2011 special election following Ted Kennedy’s death. Perhaps the unusually competitive fields in both parties will draw more voters to the polls this time around.

Page 2 of 2 -
Sometimes voters wonder if their vote really matters, but in a low-turnout special election primary, one vote can truly make a big difference. No matter which primary you vote in or which candidate you vote for, those eligible to cast a vote in today’s primaries should be sure to make their voices heard. Registered Democrats and registered Republicans may only vote in their party’s primary. Unenrolled voters may choose which primary they’d like to vote in. Massachusetts polls are open statewide today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Some polling places may have changed from the last election, so to avoid confusion, check out www.wheredoivotema.com to find your polling place or call your local Board of Elections or town clerk’s office. Please take some time out of your day to register your choice and exercise this important civic duty. It will help shape the field for the general election that will select the Bay State’s next U.S. senator.